The Challenge
by Becky99
Summary: An alien visitor. A possible attack. Memory loss ... Discoveries. Danger. Another chapter in the lives of the men and women on Moonbase Alpha.
1. Chapter 1

**_THE CHALLENGE_**

_SPACE: 1999 (ALPHAN QUEST) – 2nd in a series of shorts stories. However, this fiction can be read as stand alone fiction. This fiction written for entertainment purposes only._

()

"I blame this entirely on that technician, Ross Chaney." Tony Verdeschi said as he folded blue jacketed arms in front of his chest and leaned back against a tiled wall in Moonbase Alpha's spacious recreation area. "He put a camera in Maya's hands five months ago and I haven't had a decent moment alone with her since." The Security Chief exaggerated, but not much.

An area was cleared for Maya and her model, Julian White. He was a Canadian body builder-type who, in Verdeschi's opinion, smiled too widely and flexed too often. He was a fair-skinned dietitian, in charge of Alpha's physical fitness program. Some called him a personal trainer. Verdeschi wished he was a security guard under _his_ command.

Alan Carter, lifting a small recyclable cup and its contents to his parted lips, listened and chuckled. Like Tony, he watched the attractive red-haired Psychon positioned the camera on its tripod and snap a few pictures of her subject. She was far enough away from them not to hear Verdeschi's complaining. "Think of it this way, mate: She could have a worse hobby." The Australian pilot offered. Then, to himself he muttered, "At least she's never attempted to make beer." He lowered the offending brew, placing the cup on a table out of sight.

"That's good!" Maya called over to Julian, indicating her brawny, naked from the waist up, subject should stretch and hold his position once more. The young woman swiveled on her booted heels and looked over to Verdeschi. "Tony, could you modify that light?" She pointed behind him at an adjustable arm and smiled sweetly, "I need a high hot beam right on his brow." she instructed with a wink and turned again to the camera.

Defeated, Verdeschi nodded and did as he was asked. How could he refuse her when she looked at him like that? "It's not really the hobby that bothers me," he insisted in a put off whisper, "or even the photographic topic," Tony struggled a moment with the lamp until Maya gave him a firm thumbs up signal, "It's her enthusiasm!"

Amused, Carter shook his head back and forth. These two were impossible ... and perfect for each other.

()

She didn't want to show him anger or impatience. He never reacted well to hostility and it was important he see her side of the situation. Already, his composure seemed strained and too many people were relying on her. She not only had to persuade the Commander but also gain his support. "John, you're acting as if the entire idea is preposterous and it's not. Really. Many of us truly think it's time."

They were in his quarters, the Commander settled back on his sofa, as she paced in front of him.

Helena gently wrung her hands as she presented the proposal to him. "It's been nearly four years since Breakaway and Alpha is stable, John. Or - at least - as stable as she's ever going to be ... and more than one written inquiry has been deposited on my desk of late." Helena used her gentle, reasonable voice to a great advantage. "Many Alphans have paired up. You've officiated at five weddings in the past couple months and - well - none of us are getting any younger." Helena faltered a moment, her expression faintly alarmed. "You know what I mean." She looked again at him as he sat, staring blankly ahead, taking in all she said.

They had this discussion three times before, the last about a month ago, and Koenig always felt a little ill when Helena brought up the subject: Children on Alpha. He wasn't adverse to babies. He liked them. Or, at least, other people's. The Commander didn't have the patience or pressing need to carry on his genetic line. Simply put, he wasn't cut out for fatherhood. Helena said she understood and accepted it as a part of their ongoing relationship. Yet, sometimes he wondered ... But now, with regards to allowing other births on Alpha, John didn't want to be responsible for disaster.

Matters could get out of hand – as they often did on Moonbase Alpha.

Helena knew he was thinking about Jackie Crawford. Only a few weeks after the ordeal with Jarak, the baby died a quiet crib death. Morale plummeted on Alpha and Cynthia Crawford, inconsolable over the loss of both her husband and child, eventually took her own life. It was horrible and Helena knew the incident had an impact on John, whether he was willing to admit it or not. Herself too. She'd been so proud. The birth of Jackie, in spite of some unforeseeable circumstances, had been a shred of normalcy in an all too abnormal way of living. In the end, it was up to her to explain it to everyone. She found a small defect in the baby during an autopsy. The child would have eventually died - no matter where he was born.

Sighing, Koenig stood. "Okay, Helena. Make a thorough report, showing the advantages and disadvantages, and a system you think might work for us ... and I'll give it some serious thought."

Helena smiled triumphantly and clapped her hands together as he came toward her. "You won't be sorry, John."

"I'm not promising anything, Doctor." Koenig hastily reminded, "But if you and others are sincerely interested in the introduction of little ones, how can I ...?"

"Thank you, John!" Helena slipped her arms around his waist and hugged the Commander. Their lips met in a sweet, gentle kiss.

They were showing a complete lack of professionalism, Koenig thought as he held her in his arms, but at the moment he didn't care. Helena was beautiful anytime but when she was happy there was an appeal present that superseded physical perfection.

"Commander!" Sandra Benes, appearing unsettled, was on his quarters compost screen, "There is a strange object, possibly a spacecraft, racing towards the moon. We are expecting impact in three minutes!"

"Go to Red Alert!"

()

The crashed occurred just as John and Helena entered Command Center. The small saucer style spaceship skidded across the moon's surface and impacted on the side of a large crater.

Thankfully, the collision happened a good distance away from Moonbase Alpha.

"Sensors report one life form," Maya called from her station.

"Alive but wounded." Helena confirmed, looking over at the Commander from her console.

To Security Chief Verdeschi, Koenig asked: "Is there a danger?"

"Depends on the radiation leakage."

"None." Maya reported, after pressing buttons and making a few lightning fast calculations in her head. "Nothing I can read."

"My medical scan doesn't look good, John." Helena persisted, "If we don't get the pilot to Medical Center soon, he'll die."

Koenig hesitated. This conflict wasn't new. The safety of Alpha was all important but he couldn't just leave a living being to die, even if they didn't know its intentions. "All right." Decision made, John punched a button on his console, "Alan, prepare a rescue Eagle. Use anti-contamination screens. Security and Dr. Nunez will be joining you in fifteen minutes with a medic unit."

"What about the ship, John?" Carter asked.

"Tow it to the pad but be careful." Abruptly cutting the transmission Koenig glanced at Helena, "Prepare Medical Center and suit up. I don't want anything left to chance." As she nodded and left Command Center, John turned his attention to Verdeschi, "Same with you, Tony. I don't want anyone who doesn't absolutely have to be there near the areas we take the alien through."

"Gotcha, John." Verdeschi exited at a run.

Maya looked over at her Commander, "You're being very cautious." she said.

"We can't afford _not_ to be cautious."

()

Under Tony Verdeschi's instruction, Dr. Nunez medical team loaded the small unconscious alien onto a wheeled stretcher and transported him from his beaten craft to an Eagle.

The alien was thin, with a rather bulbous head and an oddly featureless face. Raul vigilantly examined what he determined was a young male. In Earth terms he might have been considered around thirteen years of age. He reported his findings to Dr. Russell.

She suited up and waited for her colleague near the door which connected Alpha to his travel tube. With her was Nurse Paula and an orderly. "A child." She thought. Why was such a young being flying by himself in deep space?

Koenig also over-heard as he watched the procedure from Command Center's big screen. He found himself amazed but not at Raul's description of their visitor. The prospect of an untested alien youth visiting the moonbase concerned some but, strangely, also delighted a few Alphans as well.

Helena said their people were anxious and ready for children. Despite the circumstances, it seemed she was right.

()

Dr. Russell and her staff were in an operating room completely surrounded by a clear, germ free plastic partition. Koenig, Maya, and a partially suited Verdeschi, his helmet removed, were watching from outside of this structure as Helena and her people worked on the alien.

"This isn't good at all." Helena murmured, looking up at a lighted X-ray as she attempted to clean the purple fluid oozing from a gaping wound in the child's abdomen. "Suction." she called to Paula.

Glancing at Dr. Nunez but addressing all who watched, she said: "Since he is so completely different from anything we've ever seen and I can't tell the difference between his heart and liver - or whether this race of beings even _has_ a heart or liver. We can do one of two things: An exploratory and hope he doesn't die on the table or we can sew him and hope for the best. What worries me about the latter is I could easily put him in more danger than he is now.

Koenig, Tony and Maya looked at one another but said nothing. They could not help in this instance. The doctors were on their own.

"Dr. Russell!" Ben Vincent, who was watching the alien's monitor exclaimed: "Something strange is happening!"

Indeed, each of the patient's levels - as shown on the screen - were growing more erratic. Not flattening, as if they might be losing him or even strengthening, to show progress. The lines were bouncing on and off the screen wildly.

"He's in distress!" Raul offered, grasping at an explanation.

It was almost as if an electric surge had over-taken their equipment.

"Helena!" Koenig shouted, pressing against the clear wall

The alien's arms had unexpectedly lifted and before any of the medical staff were aware of what was happening, his hands roughly gripped Dr. Russell's gloved wrists. His eyes opened wide and the fear inside of them was indisputable. He sat up and spoke urgently to Helena, "Matita ka!" the boy cried, shaking. He didn't relinquish his grip on her, however. "Matita ka!" The small mouth painfully formed words which made no sense to their human ears. He persisted, "Matitca ... Koo." Then, realizing he was getting nowhere and in agony, the alien youth lifted Helena's wrists and pressed even harder.

She cried out once then Doctor Russell, overcome, crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

A great shriek came from the alien's lips, causing the medics to jump backward, then he too collapsed, on the bed.

"No, Commander!" Dr. Nunez shouted, observing Koenig's attempt to get into the room. Raul kneeled on the floor, examining Helena as Vincent and the nurses tended to their alien patient. "She's alive." he said, relief in the doctor's voice.

Defeated, Dr. Vincent stepped back from the alien, as did the nurses. "He's not." The medical staff - as well as all on the outside - looked over at the monitor and saw flat lines as they appeared on the screen.

()

Much happened within the next hour.

The alien, declared dead and free of contaminants, was slipped cautiously into a body-bag and placed in the morgue. Bob Mathias, a medical doctor turned psychologist, promised all concerned that Doctor Vincent and Doctor Nunez would perform an autopsy soon but, at the moment, their top concern was Helena Russell.

The woman remained unconscious and they, all in Medical Center, were at a loss. No one could figure out what the alien had done to her, although Doctor Ed Spencer did make an observation that had gone previously unseen by others. Two small pin point-like incisions were spotted on Helena's wrist, where their patient had gripped her. If the alien child, which the Alphans had labeled Koo (since that was his last word before he died), hadn't bruised her, the tiny scratches might have gone completely unnoticed. Doctor Nunez told Koenig he examined Koo's hands and, indeed, there were small projectiles, no bigger than a bee's stinger, in each palm. Thin and practically transparent they were, however, strong enough to penetrate Helena's rubber gloves and dig into her skin.

"Perhaps," Doctor Spencer suggested, "As with an insect, Helena has been stung and is having an allergic reaction."

It was a fair theory but tests Vincent ran on Helena proved inconclusive. There were no toxins. She was healthy but unconscious.

Then, as Mathias spoke with Koenig at the foot of her bed, the woman's eyes flickered opened and, groggy, she called: "What happened?"

Greatly relieved, Koenig stepped to Helena's bedside and took one of her hands in his. "We were hoping you could tell us."

"Perhaps overwork." She murmured, looking at him in an odd manner. "Or ..." Confused, Helena pulled her hand out of his, uncomfortable with his touch. " ... radiation sickness."

A little wounded by her rejection Koenig said, "No Helena, there was no radiation." He eyed her, disturbed.

She was dazed but sure of herself, "Of course there was. I don't care what Commissioner Simmonds or Commander Gorski say. I know those astronauts died from radiation. It's just the _type_ of radiation that has me baffled." Her eyes were closing, "My reports ..." The voice faded off and Helena immediately tumbled, again, into a deep sleep.

Mathias and Koenig could only look at one another.

"Amnesia." Maya stated. She, Tony, Alan and the Commander were brought together in Bob's office. It was explained that the psychologist wanted to speak to all of them before anyone else because they were, he decided, Helena's closest friends. "There was an undetectable toxin ... and it made Helena lose her memory?" The last part of Maya's conclusion was a question.

Doctor Mathias slowly shook his head back and forth, "No, this is the strange part." Bob placed fingers on his chin in a thoughtful manner. "There is nothing there. It's as if whatever the alien did to Helena, while in the operating theater, made a direct connection to her brain. Do you recall Koo's monitor? It acted up as if there was a tremendous electrical surge of some kind."

"He did that to Helena?" Tony asked, shocked.

Bob nodded, "I think so, wiping out part of her memory in the process. The interesting part is she has all of her memory from Earth to Alpha. But it stops just short of Breakaway. In Helena's mind she is still awaiting the new Commander. She wants to tell him her opinion regarding the deaths of Nordstrom and the other astronauts."

"I can't believe it." Carter exclaimed, "You mean, everything in between has been completely erased?"

"No ... I wouldn't say that." The doctor looked for the right words, "_Blocked_. Helena still has memory. If you're looking for an analogy ... It's as if a portion of a document has been input into a computer then deleted. It's there and in perfect order but the computer operator needs the key to open the file up, thus restoring the document. In theory, the document is still there but hidden way, and someday it will surface again."

"How long will that take?" John Koenig, who was standing quietly to the rear of the room, spoke for the first time.

Mathias shrugged, "As long as it takes, Commander. She could snap out of it today or tomorrow, next week or next month."

"Or never." Koenig added.

"That's a possibility we can't ignore either, Commander." Mathias admitted.

The group paused, upset and silently looking for answers.

"Meanwhile, in every other way she is healthy?" Carter asked.

Mathias nodded. "But having said all of this, I need to tell you something more ..." Bob stood, appearing uncomfortable and hesitant. He paced behind his desk, "I took a liberty which I now regret. I suppose it had to be done but if I'd known she was going to react ..." He looked over at the group, "I told Helena about Breakaway when she woke up an hour ago. I thought it might be good to get it out of the way early. It would give her something to focus on."

"How did she take it?" Tony asked, allowing a pressure-laugh, picturing himself under the same circumstances.

"Not well. She believed me because she knows me. But I must admit to you, I was nervous for a while. As I explained it to her she ... I don't know how to really describe it. Helena nearly slipped away. I was afraid she was going into shock. It was so unlike her and if it happens again we may not get her back."

Maya's face registered fearful concern, "Can we tell Helena nothing of the immediate past? How can we help her? "

Bob's eyes caught Koenig's for a moment. He would have to talk with him privately about this situation. "Let's just say we need to take it slowly. Be a friend to her but don't introduce anything outrageous. I've given her a general run down of her life on Alpha and the people she's become friends with ..." Again, he glanced at Koenig, " ... but there are certain things Helena is going to have to learn on her own. Tell her stories and let her read some of her journals - but don't shock her. Not like I did." There was regret in Bob's tone, "She'll have to be visually monitored and, if we're lucky, some things will fall into place."

Later they went to see her.

Helena sat up in bed as her friends slowly walked into the medical unit. She seemed well, even smiling.

"How are you feeling, doc?" Alan asked, returning her favor.

"Fine." she answered, "Confused." Helena took in the group with her gaze, "I know you two." Helena said, indicating Alan and Tony. "Alan's a pilot and Tony is in Security."

"We've both been promoted." Verdeschi piped, not seeing the harm in this. "I am now Security Chief and Alan is, and has always been, in charge of Eagles and pilots."

Helena nodded, recalling Carter's rank. Amazed and a little amused, she said: "Congratulations."

This caused a small ripple of laughter from all.

"And you're the Commander." Helena's eyes lifted from John's black sleeve to his impassive face, "I understand we've been associates for the last three years but the only thing I can think of to say right now is 'How do you do?"

Koenig wanted to smile but he knew it would only look labored if he tried, "Yes, Commander John Koenig." He looked for recognition where there was none. _Nothing_. This hurt but he managed to keep himself steady. "We've been worried about you."

"I think I'll be all right." Helena scrutinized him awhile longer, a bit curious about this tall, rather handsome man. He must be doing a good job or he wouldn't have remained Commander so long after the moon left Earth orbit. Helena shook her head, still having a difficult time believing the disaster possible. How was it possible any of them survived such a thing? Then, she looked at Maya, "And you?"

"Science Officer."

"An alien." Dr. Russell wasn't being unkind, just impressed. Her face lit up, "On Earth in 1999 we had all finally come to the conclusion there were life forms on other planets. It all started in the early nineties when we found proof of one time life on Mars. Then, shortly after came signals from a planet just outside our solar system - Meta." Then, a war Helena thought but said nothing. "But never, in my wildest imagination, did I ever think to meet a genuine alien being! I knew Earth would eventually be visited - but not in my lifetime."

"I'm a Psychon." Maya's voice was tiny and forced. It disturbed her to see Helena looking at her as if she were something unique and worthy of scientific study. They were friends, after all. And, besides all of that, Helena had met plenty of other alien beings before she, a woman less awe-inspiring (in Maya's own opinion) than most. It was all a little disheartening.

Sensing she might have offended the young woman somehow, Helena quieted and settled back into her bed. She looked again at Koenig, "Where is Victor Bergman? He was on Alpha when it broke away, wasn't he?"

The Commander took a breath. None of this was going to be easy.

()

_To be continued._


	2. Chapter 2

(2)

While Helena rested in her bed in Medical Center, the Commander returned to Command Center and made an effort to work. He found himself staring up at the Big Screen, at the galaxy they were approaching, and he inwardly sighed. The stars had a way of soothing him but also caused his thoughts to wander.

The mood of his people had changed from the guarded hope displayed earlier in the day to flagrant depression. Even those who were nervous at the thought of a new alien on Alpha now appeared despondent and short-tempered. Koo had been young and a reminder of the children Alphan couples wanted. When he died so did that ever needed morale. Watching the Alphans and their reactions, Koenig thoughts drifted, quite naturally, to Helena Russell.

She had proposed children on Alpha, despite the dangers. _'It's time ...'_ she said.

_Helena ... _Her reaction to Victor's death, when he carefully explained the Professor's demise to her, was at first puzzling. She was upset, of course, and even a touch teary-eyed but there was no huge close down as Mathias had anticipated. Not even the deep grieving John expected.

Later, as he walked the halls of the base, attempting to regain some composure before entering Command Center, Koenig had time to ponder. Although Helena and Victor had been friends prior to and after the moon broke away, they hadn't yet joined in the complex camaraderie the three of them shared while on their journey. A deep friendship developed because they, probably the three most important people on the moonbase at the time, had been thrust together into a world where only their wits and bravery could be openly displayed. Only in private could they be together as friends and talk unabashed of their doubts.

"Commander Koenig," Sandra Benes quietly approached him from her desk with a long length of paper, "How is Helena?"

"Puzzled." he said, honestly.

Sahn understood Koenig's reluctance to say more. Not only was his lady in bad way but he wasn't even allowed to lend comfort. The young woman suddenly wondered what she would do if ever faced with the same situation. Paul - dear dead Paul Morrow - flashed through her mind for a moment but she shook it away. She was over him now. Helena's soothing and reassuring words had helped.

"What is it, Sahn?" Koenig asked, indicating the paper in her hands.

"A blip and perhaps more." She put the computerized graph in front of him, "The first signal is weak but on its current trajectory it should pass Alpha in about three days."

"A meteor?"

"I cannot be certain. But there is another not too far behind it. Perhaps they are spaceships. Koo's people?"

Koenig examined her findings. That's all they needed. An invasion. After a few minutes, John gave Sandra back her graph. "Keep an eye on it and let me know if there is any change. Dial in the urgent setting on my comlock if needed."

"Yes, sir."

Koenig stood and exited. He needed to see Alan Carter.

()

"Here it is, John." Carter directed the Commander over to a strange contraption with two narrow, rounded arms on either side of a brightly lit tube.

"So, what is it?" Koenig asked, leaning in to take a closer look.

"I wish I could tell you. We found it to the rear of the alien spaceship. I asked Maya's opinion and even she's stumped. The only thing we can really be certain of is that it has something to do with communication and these ..." Alan flipped a switch. With a crackle and hum the machine began an odd fluttering noise. " ... are words."

It doesn't sound like the same language Koo was using when he tried to talk with Helena."

"I know and don't understand it either." Alan studied the device with John for a moment, "I'm beginning to wonder if this isn't their alien form of a Black Box ... but why would Koo's last words be recorded in code?" Carter lifted a hand to scratch his blond hair. "I'm not wanting to sound morbid, John, but from a craft enthusiast point of view, I'd like to know what made it crash. Was it pilot error, was something mechanically wrong OR …?" he paused.

"What?"

"Was the ship _made_ to crash?"

Koenig closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head back and forth. They did not need another mystery. "Work on it, Alan. And if you still don't come up with something, have Sahn take a listen. Her expertise might be exactly what is needed." Koenig advised and prepared to exit.

Carter called, "John, have you spoken with Helena?"

The Commander paused, "No, not yet." he retreated.

Alan nodded, watching him walk away. He felt for John. The pilot was beginning to think Helena needed more help than any of them could give her. Suddenly inspired, Carter smiled. She needed gentle reminders, Mathias had said. Why hadn't he thought of it before? He had just what Helena needed.

()

Maya took Doctor Russell to her quarters, a site now changed from the time before Breakaway. The room was smaller, Helena noted but she also smiled. An artist's paint-pallet and easel was propped in one corner of the room, with an abstract sort of painting in the halfway stage. Her shelves were lined with clay formed busts and plaques. Color was everywhere.

"Are you all right, Helena?" Maya asked, watching her expression and body language closely.

Helena nodded at Maya and walked over to the closet. She used her comlock to open the door and looked at what clothes were there. "Lots of uniforms." Helena murmured, expecting as much. Then, slightly curious, she pulled out a pink and blue gown which were covered with a clear see-through bags. "Do we have functions now where I can actually wear something like this?" she asked the Psychon and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yes." Maya chuckled. She glanced over at Helena's bedside table, noting John's photograph had been removed. Good. "Parties are important for morale." Maya quoted something Helena once said and watched to see if it had an effect.

Curious but unphased, Helena closed the door and turned toward her bed. Her face lit up when seeing a beautiful, brightly colored quilt, "This is gorgeous." She crossed to the bed, sitting on the mattress and allowing her hands to run over the sturdy fabrics and designs. "I never really had a talent for sewing. I wonder who made it."

"I was told Professor Bergman gave it to you." Maya spoke lowly, respectfully.

"Oh." Again, sensing loss, Helena's hands passed over the intricate designs then patted it flat. Sighing, seeing the alien girl looking at her with an almost nervous attention Helena said: "You don't have to baby-sit me. Go on to work, Maya. I'll stay here and absorb a few things." Helena tried to be patient but there was something about the way this alien woman and everyone else on Alpha looked at her that got under Helena's skin. "Really, I am fine."

"I'm not sure the Commander …"

Helena snapped, "I'm not a child!" She immediately regretted the outburst and the fact it caused the concerned Maya to skip back away from her a few paces. Yet, Helena couldn't bring herself to apologize. She was inflicted but hardly disabled.

Nodding uncertainly and a little miserable, not wanting to give up her post, Maya tried to smile thinly and turned to leave.

Alan appeared at the open door with a box in his hands, not aware of the little scene he had missed, and acknowledged Maya, "You better go talk with Tony." he advised, "He's feeling neglected. By the way," Carter added, "don't take your camera."

A little offended and still shaken, Maya comically straightened her shoulders and turned her back on him, leaving.

Carter entered, "Helena, I have all of the answers to your problems."

"You do?" It was the familiarity that puzzled and, yes, _pleased_ Helena most. Nearly all of these people she remembered professionally from before Breakaway. They were now speaking casually to each other, as comrades and family, using given names and not expecting the occupational stiffness which, in the past, was required of a superior towards subordinates. Yet, the respect remained and this delighted Helena too.

She was happy to learn she had developed relationships. It was never easy for her, even on Earth. Helena's best friend during the latter part of the nineteen nineties - when she had just started working for the medical department of Space Commission - Dr. Bruce Ripperton, was always commenting on her shyness and penchant to be a bit too proficient, striving to forget a lost husband and pull what was left of her life together by immersing herself in work.

As she sat on her quilted bed, her legs crossed, Helena watched him, amused as Alan Carter stacked the small pile of video diskettes on her white coffee table. The pilot was another of those pleasant surprises she was getting used to. Who would have thought, back in nineteen ninety-nine, she could develop a friendship with such a 'devil may care' pilot?

"Sporting events on Alpha." he said, turning to look at her. "Maybe one of these will jog your memory. Now, don't look at me like that, Helena ..." He spoke quickly, before she could even start an objection. "You've attended plenty of these, although you've never gone willingly."

"Then who did I go with? You?" Helena smiled at his expression, which she mistook for embarrassment.

"No, it was J…" Alan actually felt a shock go through his system. He almost said too much, nearly mentioning John Koenig by name. And, if she backed him into a corner, he wasn't certain he could work himself out. As good as Alan was at many things, he was a horrible liar. "No, not with me. I'm more of a participant than observer." He worked around the miscalculation.

"Thank you, Alan." Helena stood and walked him to her door. "Everyone is trying to be so helpful. I'm still having a hard time believing all of this has happened."

"It will come back to you, Helena."

The doors parted as she pressed the opener. "I hope so."

She looked so lost and defeated that Carter couldn't help himself. He leaned forward, his arms outstretched, and gave the woman - his friend and in many ways confident - a hug. In turn and with a stunning impact, Helena leaned forward and kissed him very gently on the lips. It was meant as nothing more than an affectionate demonstration of appreciation but Carter nearly jumped.

"Goodbye, Alan." Helena said and took a few steps backward.

The doors slid closed between them.

Alan stood in front of the entrance for several moments before moving down the hall.

()

The anger he expected but the tears were something he hadn't prepared himself for. She was like a delicate, long limbed, sensuous child and he could do no more than hold her and give comfort for something he didn't entirely understand.

Maya had come to them three years ago, after her planet exploded in the aftermath of her father's obsessive madness. Even then, despite her intellect, the Psychon was a mere sheltered child in the body of an exotic adult female.

Verdeschi fell in love nearly at first sight. It wasn't only her beauty which captivated him but the woman's playfulness. Unlike many of the Alphan's, Maya was able to put her tragic past behind her and go on with her new family of Earthlings. She would never forget Psychon or her father, Mentor, but she had the strength and ability to look into the future and - as John Koenig reminded her - they were all aliens and they were all Alphans. Verdeschi held Maya as she sobbed, her head resting against his shoulder.

Her pain aside, it felt wonderful cradling her like this.

"I felt like I was being dismissed, Tony. By my best friend - _Helena!_ And she was angry. I've never seen her angry… at least, not at me." Maya hated herself for being so sensitive and weak but she couldn't help it.

"Maya honey, you have to understand that Helena - as she is - isn't herself. The warm, open woman Dr. Russell eventually became isn't the same lady Alpha started with." Tony assured.

Maya pulled away from him a little, her hands resting on his chest and her moist blue eyes asking for an explanation, "Tony, is there really that big a difference?"

Verdeschi thought a moment, "Well, not really." Then quickly, "Inside, Helena has always been warm and tender. I saw her before Breakaway, her with patients, having the perseverance of a saint. But, when it came to friends and lovers, she was a little closed. She grieved for a missing husband that wasn't, she learned, was not as dead as she had been told. He was living a different life in another existence and their marriage, by all rights, was dissolved …"

Maya nodded. She recalled reading the file on Lee Russell but never had the nerve to ask Helena about him.

"I think John loving her had a lot to do with the way she now approaches people. She knew she could open herself to friends and a lover without being pushed away or feeling compromised." It was difficult for Tony to speak in this way. He liked the opposite sex but understanding them was far from his reach. Yet, he tried. John had told him that before and even a little after Breakaway, Helena was the type of person who carefully opened symbolic doors only to have them slammed in her face.

John admitted to treating her not so kindly himself at first. They eventually became friends but she did not want to get close with anyone, particularly a man who had three hundred and eleven lives to find a home for. She would always be second or third in his life. Work was everything to John Koenig_ and_ Helena Russell. They had no time for personal exchanges, be it for a friend or lover.

Tony continued because Maya was staring at him, "One day - and I'll never know what exactly it was that opened John's eyes - the Commander was there for her and they liked what they saw and felt physically and emotionally." Verdeschi chuckled, "I told John later, and he agreed with me, that he was an idiot for waiting so long. He should have made a move on her our first month out into deep space."

"He was wise to wait, I think." Maya said, "Reacting too quickly can cause more problems than it solves." Maya allowed a small smile, a few tidbits about her friends falling into place. Both were secretive about their relationship although the devotion was obvious. Maya lifted a hand and brushed away a tear track. "Tony, I don't think I really know anything about my friends." That wasn't entirely true. She knew a little about Koenig because she had asked questions once while the two of them were trapped on a hostile planet. She knew about his wife, Jean, who had been killed during a war.

But, did she know anything about Tony? She knew he came from a large Italian family and she cared a great deal about him. She might even love him ... but did she _know_ him? "We talk a lot, Tony, but we never really say anything important to each other. Tell me about your life - about your family. I know about Guido but how were you brought up? What were you like when a child? What did you do before Alpha?"

Verdeschi grinned, "This could get complicated, Maya. A man likes nothing better than to talk about himself."

She moved in, running her hands up his jacketed sleeves. "I don't care. I need to know more. I need ..." her face moved in close to his, "... assurance."

And he needed her.

Their lips met in a sublime kiss.

()

They could see the moon now on their long-range probes. It was a bleak little pebble in the huge expanse of the universe. Yet, they could not ignore it.

He had to know if the boy told these Earth people his secrets. If he did ... their destruction would be quick and painless. He would find a way.

()

Twenty four hours passed.

He had seen her before like this, pacing in front of him, proposing he do something he wasn't certain was right. And, as before, she was on the verge of talking him into it.

"Commander, I know this is for my own good but I can't possibly be expected to regain my memory if you, Dr. Mathias and the others don't level with me. I've read some of my reports, the ones which have been released to me, and they are very interesting and informative but I think something is missing. There are glaring holes, as if there are some things you simply don't want me to know."

Sitting on sofa in his quarters, the same piece of furniture the Commander rested on when Helena proposed the idea of children on Alpha, Koenig found it difficult to look directly into her inquisitive eyes. He didn't know if it was because he was agitated by the secrecy surrounding her amnesia or if it simply pained him to look at her, knowing she was not his right now and might not ever be again. "What concerns you most, Doctor?" Koenig asked, looking up and trying to appear open and affable.

"Well, it's shortly after Breakaway," Helena, a small gathering of official report papers in her hands, flipped through the pages. "I know we visited a planet Terra Nova - I think it was the planet originally called Meta? But there are no details. What did we see there? How did we know it wasn't right to colonize?"

Koenig cleared his throat, "Anti-matter. It was an anti-matter planet." he said and again looked away from her. He and the doctors agreed that bringing up Helena's reunion with Lee Russell wasn't in her best interest. Doctor Nunez, a competent Psychiatrist himself, said the shock of such knowledge could cause a sever set back.

"There had to be more than that, Commander." Helena insisted, "I go into far more detail in my other reports. I positively shook when I read about that evil, immortal alien, Balor." Then she added, "And I thought you were quite heroic." She smiled.

Her approval surprised Koenig a little. When he had taken an Eagle up to exam the moon's surface before breakaway - then crashed - Helena had been angry with him. She stated very plainly that she did not approve of his recklessness.

Inspired, an intrigued Helena laid her paperwork on his coffee table and sat beside John on the sofa. Facing him, she said: "The more I read the more I realize just how good a person you are. I don't just mean the way you command this base ... There's something deep inside of you that cries out for justice and - if I can be so bold - I think I realized this when I wrote these reports." Quietly, she thought aloud. "Some of these are written with a compassion I didn't even know I possessed ... and most of them treat you with a hero-worship ..." Suddenly, Helena looked hard at John Koenig, who was staring but he said nothing. "I'm sorry, Commander." Helena gulped slightly and jumped up quickly, frightened but not knowing why. "I'm babbling, aren't I? I must be making rather a big fool of myself."

"Not at all." Koenig also stood. He was sure Helena was remembering something. "Doctor ..." He hated the formality. "Listen, do you mind if I call you Helena? You can call me John. We've been doing this for quite some time and I'm a little uncomfortable calling you by your title."

Helena laughed nervously, impulsively moving away from him. "Of course." She unconsciously wrung her hands, feeling uneasy in his presence. Why had this bizarre feeling so suddenly overcome her? Was there something in her past with John Koenig that was subconsciously bringing discomfort? Was it possible the Commander was not as capable or wonderful as she thought?

There was only one way to break a mood like this and Koenig knew the doctors would have his head if they found out. But John empathized with Helena. He understood better than anyone else what the woman could withstand. He was protective of her but also had been with Helena when she accepted Lee Russell's "death". Without a word, John walked over to a desk drawer and deliberately opened it. "Helena, you'll have to promise me something ..." He said, his back to her. "You won't tell anyone I gave this to you." He pulled out an audio disk, "It's your full verbal report on Terra Nova." He walked over to her and placed it in her outstretched hand.

"Commander, I... John ..."

"Listen," he commanded before she could get another word in, "This report will be very painful." John examined her confused expression as he continued to speak, "There are things you don't know and Dr. Mathias thought ... _Everyone_ thought we should keep this particular bit of history away from you – just for awhile."

"Oh?" Helena looked at the two and a half-inch disk in her hand.

Partly because he needed the contact, John put his hands on her shoulders and, this time, looked into her dazzling but perturbed gray-green eyes. "I want you to listen to it in your quarters, Helena. Lay back in bed or on the sofa. Sip a warm cup of tea. Relax and take it in. Absorb what it tells you then ... if you have any questions or just need to talk ... Come to me. Call me anytime or anywhere."

Doctor Russell felt a sudden shiver travel up her spine. What was so awful that he was taking such care to prepare and calm her? "I will." Helena nodded and unexpectedly felt a little disappointed when his hands fell away.

()

_To be continued ..._


	3. Chapter 3

(3)

"Mate, I need to talk with you about something." Carter had called to Tony Verdeschi over his console screen in Command center, "In private."

They decided to play handball together and, during their dinner break, the men found themselves decked out in the proper gear, shorts and tank tops, batting a small regulation ball against a plexiglas wall in Alpha's gymnasium.

"She kissed you?" Verdeschi nearly missed the ball but recovered quickly enough to bounce it again. "Really?"

"And I liked it." Alan smacked the ball firmly, in distress and angry with himself.

"Are you out of your mind?" Tony caught the ball and held it, facing Carter. "What the hell are you thinking?"

"Don't go there, mate. I know John and Helena are an item and I'm not looking to break up anything." _Or die at the hands of my Commander_, Alan also considered. "I just wanted to talk to you because … you kissed her too and I wanted to - er -."

"Compare notes?"

"Sort of."

Verdeschi tossed the ball, "Alan, when I kissed Helena we were both under a spell." Magus, the alien who wanted to be God, had paired him with Helena and John with Maya. It was one of those rare moments when Verdeschi was with a lovely woman and he felt agonized over impure thoughts. "It was totally beyond our control."

"But you liked it, right?"

"Of course I did. I wouldn't be a man if I didn't." Verdeschi brutally beat the ball against the plexiglas, annoyed with the question and feeling a form of guilt. As far as he was concerned, John Koenig was his best friend. Neither ever discussed that time on Magus' planet for obvious reasons. "John's a lucky devil." Tony summed up, irritated. "But she's not a Psychon."

Alan smiled mildly and returned a volley, "The funny thing is, before now, I _never_ thought of Helena as anything more than a friend and my doctor. I respect, care and even loved her in a fashion ... but always as her _friend_. Why suddenly does a little friendly kiss make such a difference?"

Verdeschi shrugged as he lunged for the ball. Lately, he felt as if he was becoming everyone's favorite shrink. It was a role he felt ill-equipped to handle. Still, Alan did ask. "Maybe it's vulnerability. The fact that she is always confident and strong and now can be harmed. You feel sorry for Helena and for some men that can be a potent aphrodisiac."

"Maybe." Carter suddenly felt uncomfortable with the conversation. This was obviously something he would have to work out on his own.

The men finished the game, showered, and returned to their posts.

()

Alibe Gundersen sat in Sandra's chair in Command Center and watched the Big Screen. _Stars ... stars everywhere._ Did Sahn or Yasko ever get lost in those tiny flecks of light in front of them? Alibe started out as a chemist but when Alpha began its quest, she decided a career in communication was for her. Then, after she married Don, an efficiency expert, she returned to her lab and only came to Command Center to spell whoever was on duty during the evening.

It was quiet now, around dinner time. Only a few Alphans were about, checking calculations or monitoring various levels through Main Computer.

Reaching, curious about something written on Sandra's desk note pad, Alibe fine-tuned an instrument. Yes, the mysterious object was still out there, headed towards Alpha. The Commander suspected it might be a meteor but was also wondering if it was the mate to the spacecraft Koo had been in. And, if it was, could they expect an invasion?

Alibe placed a hand on her belly and hoped for the best. She wanted to have children some day and now it could really happen.

If Dr. Russell's plans ... Oh yes, poor Dr. Russell. Now that she lost her memory would the proposal be ignored? Alibe shook the selfish thought from her mind. How could she be so self-centered when the doctor was reported to barely be hanging onto her wits by a thread?

Yet, it was still on everyone's minds. _Babies._ Should she approach the Commander herself? _Maybe you should take on the task?_ Alibe suddenly jumped. Why hadn't she thought of this before? She was part of the committee that kept Helena on her toes about the proposal. As a matter of fact, Doctor Russell usually came to her first about what she had learned and how the Commander was feeling and ... You _should_ do this, Alibe. Snatching a pen from its clip, Alibe enthusiastically took notes. Don would be proud.

()

Helena stared in wide-eyed wonder at the black feline as it hopped confidently into her arms and purred contentedly. "I don't believe it!" she whispered in awe. "You're amazing."

The cat mewed lazily, rubbing its dark head against the doctor's jacketed shoulder. Deciding it had enough, the animal jumped from Helena's hands. However, before hitting the ground, a spindle of bright yellow light surrounded the cat. Moments later Maya stood once again before the dazzled doctor.

"And this comes naturally to you?" Helena inquired, an easy excitement in her tone.

"We have to be taught but nearly any Psychon can learn." Maya winked.

It wasn't by accident that Helena came to be in Maya's quarters. She had hurt the young woman, whether intentional or not, and Helena wanted to make amends. "Maya, I must apologize again for being so rude to you. I just ..."

"There is no need, Helena." Maya assured with a reflection of a warm smile. She watched Dr. Russell as she made herself at home, sitting on a chair in the living area. Maya was a short distance away, now in front of a lighted mirror, straightening the red neck of a fresh uniform she had just slipped into before Helena's arrival, and the demonstration of her metamorphic abilities.

A few hours ago, after she left Tony, Maya felt much better. She had stopped, as Tony advised, to realize the turmoil Helena must be going through. The woman had to be terrified. Helena knew nothing of the past three years, and there she was - an alien with the intelligence to rival all of the most brilliant minds on Earth - behaving like a little lost girl. She was feeling sorry for herself and this realization angered Maya far more than any mere infraction by an unsuspecting friend.

"If anything, Helena, you are an inspiration. You're holding together so well." Maya said, watching her friend's reflection in the mirror.

Dr. Russell glanced up from the photograph album Maya offered her earlier and gazed at the young woman, who was now running a brush through her attractive auburn hair. "You have a date tonight, don't you?" she asked suddenly, with faint humor.

Maya twisted about, "How did ...?"

"I'm not so old and out of step that I don't recognize evidence of a girl preparing to see her young man." Helena's smile turned into a mild sulk. An odd, slightly uncomfortable yet familiar feeling came suddenly to her. She shook it away, "It's Tony, isn't it? I can see it in your eyes when you look at him."

"Yes." Maya, both intrigued and leery, quickly changed the subject, "Are the pictures helping? I started taking them around five months ago and some people think they're quite good."

"They are_ very_ good." Helena said, brightly. "The portrait shots are particularly beautiful. I recognize many of these people but I don't know if it's because I knew them before the moon broke away or if I'm identifying them from a week ago." Sighing, Helena shut the book she was browsing. "Alan's been trying to help me too. I've been through two hours of ping pong and gymnastics disks and about three hours of basketball and racquetball on video."

"Are they helping?"

"No, not really." She said, "Although there is one section on the basketball tape that looks vaguely familiar to me. I keep rolling it over and over again but can't quite pin point what it is I'm identifying with. Maybe it's nothing." Helena shrugged and slipped her hand into a jacket pocket.

Doctor Russell felt the audio disk John had given to her. She hesitated listening to it. Helena knew she should be anxious but for some reason she couldn't fathom, there was fear. She acknowledged Maya's sympathetic gaze and stood. "Time for you to get on with your life, Maya. I'll go to my quarters and try to put mine back together again."

Maya desperately wanted to tell her some things but they were out of the question. Mathias and the other doctors would have her drawn and quartered if she went against orders. And, if something happened to Helena, John Koenig would never forgive her. Maya would not risk it, although her heart broke for her confused and distraught friend. "Take the album with you, Helena. Maybe later you will recall something."

With a mild smile, Helena walked over to meet Maya, who stood and took one of her hands. "You are a good friend, Maya." She leaned forward and hugged the Psychon, "Thank you."

Shyly, feeling content despite herself, Maya lifted a hand to touch Helena's cheek then left her and entered a washroom to finish her regimen.

Helena reached down to pick up the album, which she had laid on Maya's make up table, when her eyes suddenly caught sight of another photo book underneath a small end-table - seemingly hidden from view. While Maya was out of sight, busily running water in a sink, Helena lifted the book and flipped through some heavy pages.

These pictures appeared dedicated to special events; candid shots taken at parties and award ceremonies. Why hadn't Maya shown her this? Smiling, Helena flipped the pages, seeing herself with friends. She honestly couldn't recognize any of these trapped moments but the photographs gave her a sense of the life she'd been living. These were good, relaxed and happy times.

Then, at the turn of one more page, Helena nearly dropped the album. "My God." she breathed. The title of this selection was _Valentine's Day_. And there she was, dancing a slow dance, wearing that pink revealing gown she had seen in her closet. She was with Commander Koenig, dancing close. This wasn't enough normally to frighten Helena or even make her a little ill at ease - but what Maya had caught with her camera a few frames later was.

Helena and John were kissing as they danced. No simple chaste kiss, but something very personal and passionate. It was a kiss which held the promise of desires to be fulfilled. Helena felt a bit dizzy and shaken as she pulled the picture from the album and replaced the binder underneath the end-table.

()

"Why didn't you tell me!?" Helena unceremoniously stormed as she entered the Commanders quarters.

Koenig was alone, studying the alien spacecraft schematic Carter had left for him. He looked up from his lighted table to see the woman charge in, "Helena." Had Terra Nova done this to her? Did he make a mistake, giving her the disk?

Then, Helena placed the photograph on the table top and slid it so he could take a good look.

"Where did you get this?" John asked, his jaw tightening. He had no idea that a picture of them together like this even existed, let alone the photographer allowing it to fall into Helena's hands when she was most vulnerable.

"It doesn't matter." Her arms were crossed in front of her and Helena took on the persona of a woman who was clearly bitter. "You had every opportunity to tell me that we meant more to each other than what I was led to believe, John. Why didn't you? Why didn't anyone ...?"

"We were scared." Koenig said simply, "Maybe it was wrong, Helena, but we were afraid you might not take well to the idea of having a personal relationship ... Especially with the Commander of this moonbase. Bob mentioned how you reacted after he told you about the moon leaving Earth ..."

"I know how I reacted." Helena snapped. "And _that_ is why you chose not to tell me?"

"Bob thought you'd eventually figure it out for yourself."

"Which I did." She nearly snarled.

Neither of them spoke for a count of about thirty seconds.

"I don't know what to say, Helena." Koenig finally whispered, "I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't want to lose you. I didn't know what to do other than do nothing."

An expression, just slightly yielding, came to her. "I just feel so … stupid." Helena looked down, feeling the sting of tears form in her eyes. "I know you, all of you, did what you thought best, but I'm so embarrassed, John." Helena took a ragged breath, "It's bad enough I don't remember recent history but to suddenly discover I've had a lover ..." She shook her head back and forth, looking down at her boots and wishing it all a dream. _A dashing and high-ranking lover_, her mind supplied.

Koenig reached for her, "Well, at least now you know. We can get on with ..."

_"What?"_ Helena lifted her head. The anger and frustration returned. "Do you really think we can just pick up where we left off? You don't seem to understand what has happened here, Commander." She stepped back from him, anguished. "I don't know you. I don't _feel _anything for you. I must have ... but now - _nothing_."

Speechless, Koenig did not know how to react.

Helena continued: "And ...I feel horrible about it!" She flinched when sensing he wanted to touch her. "I have to think about this." She moved around him, "I must go." At a sudden run, as if she thought he might come after her, Helena was out of his quarters.

Koenig stared at the closing door behind her then, desolate, he brought a hand up to cover his eyes. He slowly bowed his head in grief and, with his free hand, miserably pushed the schematic aside.

()

Terra Nova and Lee Russell.

Her report, spoken in her own voice, revealed all.

Helena, in pajamas, stood shakily to her feet and moved away from the sofa, walking over to her compost. The woman's breathing was shallow and she felt, for a moment, as if she might faint. But it wasn't like her to do that. She had told John Koenig, during a quiet moment alone, that it must have been all the stress and strain. After all, it wasn't everyday your husband came back from the dead.

But that was years ago ... Her report never said how long it took to get over losing Lee again. But, she had obviously moved on ….

This was all just a bit too much for one night.

Leaning heavily against the compost, striving to clear her thoughts, Helena looked up at the screen. A red light was flashing, telling her the disk she had watched earlier in the day, the sports disk, was still installed. Numbly, Helena pushed the play button and watched the basketball segment that so disturbed her. Why did this movement, a typical slam dunk, with the crowd screaming happily in the background, seem so familiar?

Then, revelation hit and Helena caught her breath. Carefully, she paused and fine tuned a frame. "Oh ..." She stepped back shaking, her left hand lifting to touch her throat. "Of course."

Helena felt a cold chill followed by a deep warmth overcome her.

()

Awakened from a fitful sleep, he heard a rustling which - at first - alarmed him. But then he caught the scent of her perfume. Or was it a body lotion? She had to keep reminding him. And he immediately knew who it was.

Koenig lay in bed, looking up at Helena Russell in the dim light as she stood there gazing down at him. "Helena, why are you here?" he asked, softly concerned.

She hesitated before speaking, "I've never rushed into an affair in my life. I had to know and trust you for some time before ... And to stay together for as long as we have I must love you very much." Her voice was fueled with emotion, "I ... I ... don't want to be alone for the rest of my life." She broke down, weeping.

He sat up, hands instantly raised for her, his arms embracing the uncommonly fragile woman as she fell into his bed and soaked in his strength. John pulled the covers up over her and kissed Helena's forehead. She trembled and began to fall into an exhausted, trouble sleep. He stroked her hair. "That's it." he murmured. John wished there was more he could do.

()

"Are you scanning?" The hooded alien asked the operator at her computer console.

"Yes, sir." Her fingers touched switches and buttons, "I do not read Duc's life signs. Yet, his craft is definitely on this small moon."

"They have him there somewhere." He stared at the screen with Earth's moon hovering before it, "And we must find him before it is too late."

()

"How do you feel?" He asked her as he walked from the bathroom, after a morning shower and shave.

Sitting on the side of his bed, pulling on her right boot, Helena smiled over at Koenig - almost shyly. She'd found the uniform and accessories in his closet, where he told her they would be. "Good," she said, "and a little strange." Helena stood before him and hesitantly reached up to touch his cheek as he met her, closing his fingers over hers. "Thank you."

"For what?" Koenig's hand dropped from hers and his arms loosely held Helena.

"For not taking _advantage_ of the situation." Reluctantly, Helena turned from him, again feeling slightly disappointed when their physical contact broken. With her back to John, she said: "You could very easily have done whatever you wanted with me last night and I would have gratefully let you. Instead, you allowed me to just cling to you and ... you were very considerate."

John chuckled, "I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't tempted, but I guess it just goes to show you that not all men are the animals we're made out to be." He added, "You needed assurance just then. Not sex."

With a laugh at his directness, Helena turned once again to John and laid a hand on his arm. "I'm sure that won't always be the case." she whispered.

"Glad to hear it." He replied quietly and reached to touch her cheek.

Then, a bit more seriously, "I know none of this has been easy for you, John. Not only do you have me and my incredibly erratic behavior to deal with ... but you are also faced with a dead alien and a mysterious meteor or space invasion. How do you manage to keep your ... sanity?"

Slowly, he grew just as serious but his mind was elsewhere. His face drew close to hers. "I don't always manage to keep so calm but I have my friends and advisors - people I love and trust - around me. They support and encourage their Commander. They believe in me."

Helena, appearing starry-eyed and dazed as he drew ever closer, his lips inches from her own, and said - "And you have an honest iron will. That's hard to discount." She tried to focus but was losing the battle.

Their lips almost met when a call came from his compost.

"Commander!" It was Maya, "Come to Command Center immediately! We have visitors!"

()

He stood in front of them, underneath Command Center's Big Screen, lifting his hands in a peaceful gesture. A tall alien, he was clad in a long, shimmering hooded robe. Behind him were two muscular body guards, similarly attired. When he loosened the hood and allowed it to fall behind his shoulders, few were surprised he looked like an older version of Koo. "We have come for Duc, my mikaf ..." He grimaced, struggling to recall the right word, " ... my nephew." The voice was slow and steady, as it might be from anyone learning a new language, but the tone contained the same inflections as Koo's.

Koenig glanced at the screen briefly, noting the spaceship hovering above Alpha. It was the same design, perhaps a little larger, as the craft now being examined in Alpha's Eagle hanger. "Did you know Koo ... _Duc_ crash landed on this moon?"

"We are aware." The alien's red rimmed eyes narrowed just slightly. "My name is Councilor Duaor and we, of the planet Taldrof, wish your people no harm, Commander." He paused, "I only wish to see Duc. He was ill when he left us."

"Ill?" Dr. Russell stepped forward. She had watched the alien warily from behind her Commander. This sort of encounter might be an everyday occurrence for the rest on Alpha but it was new for her and Helena felt nervous, yet fascinated.

"Nothing contagious." Duaor quickly assured, "A fever. He was delusional." His expression was calm but bordered on the edge of discomfort.

For the moment Koenig accepted this, "He was unconscious when we reached him. When Duc awoke he said 'Mati .'." He paused, attempting to recall the words.

Maya aided, "'Matita. Matita ka. Mattica koo.'" she quoted.

Verdeschi scrutinized their visitors, "What does that mean?"

Duaor looked surprised, "You mean he hasn't translated? Your language is not so difficult and Duc is a student of dialect. He should have ..."

"He died." Koenig stated flatly, with little tact. The Commander was usually a good judge of character and he simply did not trust Duaor. The alien was too careful and eloquent in the way he spoke and he was obviously thinking all of the time. The alien reminded Koenig a bit too much of Commissioner Simmonds.

Duaor glanced back at his two comrades then again at Koenig, "I see." He cleared his throat, appearing upset, yet more was there than Koenig could not pin point. Relief? "When he spoke to you, he was merely declaring his fears. And he wanted to go home. Personally, I feel Duc knew he was going to die and felt the need to return to Taldrof to declare his Zelim." Duaor smiled, understanding the Alphans knew not what he spoke of, "It is a religious right of passage."

_I don't believe you_, Koenig thought but said nothing.

"Tell me, was Duc alone at the time of death?"

"No he was in Medical Center. Doctors were attempting to save his life." Koenig stepped a little closer to Helena and touched her arm. He didn't trust the aliens yet he couldn't ignore the fact that they could help too. "Before he died Koo ... Duc did something to Dr. Russell. It caused her to lose part of her memory. Is it possible for her to regain it?

Verdeschi, who was standing off to the side, caught a gesture between the Councilor's two guards. The aliens had glanced at one another, something hidden in that non-verbal exchange, he was sure.

Duaor smiled, a sudden expression of immense satisfaction flooding through him. He spoke quickly, "Indeed, Commander. It was fright which caused Duc to strike out at your doctor. We can take her to our craft and have our surgeons perform a naphlopia. It will remove the blockage, causing her memory loss." He looked steadily at Helena, "We can leave immediately if you like."

Dr. Russell smiled uneasily. A glimmer of hope, hampered with fear of the unknown.

"Councilor, we need to talk in more detail." Koenig stated, firmly.

One of Duaor's guards came up behind him and whispered something in his ear. Anxiousness appeared on the alien's face for less than a few seconds, then he was a diplomat again. "Of course, Commander."

Other matters needed attention as well. Fifteen minutes later, an informal conference was held between Duaor, Koenig, Dr. Russell, Maya, and Alan Carter in the Commander's quarters.

Carter lifted the bizarre device off of the lighted table so Duaor could get a better look at it. "What is this? We found it in Koo's ship."

"Duc." Maya corrected, gently. To the alien she said: "We've determined it's verbal or, in theory, a communications device."

"Yes!" Duaor's tone was excited as he stared at the object, "It is Duc's Katla. What you would call a journal or memos."

"A diary?" Helena offered.

Duaor nodded at her but kept his attention focused on the Katla, "This is very sacred to our people. His father, the leader of our people, will want it. Duc's last words, just before he died, were recorded on this." Then a bit too forcibly, he said: "You must give it to me." A beat, "Please."

"Why is the journal in code?' Koenig asked, aware of Duaor's diplomatic slip up.

"Code?"

"He isn't speaking your language."

The alien thought a few moments then turned to Helena Russell, "It is more important than ever to get the doctor to our spacecraft now. I understand what Duc did. He used an ancient Taldrofian tongue to record his thoughts. I told you he was a language and dialect specialist and ... he could be an odd child at times. He decided to use Dr. Russell as his interpreter."

Enlightened, Maya said, "I think I understand. We had similar rights on Psychon." She looked over at Koenig, "What he is proposing to do is hook Helena up to this machine and, through her, Duc will speak his recorded message."

"And time is of the utmost importance Commander. You say she has been like this for three or four of your days? We have eight more hours. After the time period elapses we will no longer hear from Duc and, I'm afraid, your doctor will be blocked forever. Dr. Russell must come with us so we can perform the necessary surgery - to prepare her for Katla."

"To your ship?" Koenig looked over at Alan who shrugged, "And I suppose you'll want to take Duc and his craft with you?

"Well, yes. Of course, we will want them as well."

_You only thought of your dear, much loved nephew as an after-thought_, Koenig mused, his suspicions growing ever deeper. "Is the surgery dangerous?"

"Not at all. We've done it many times." Duaor assured. Then, "But never on a human. I can't imagine any difficulties, however."

"John," Helena touched his shoulder, "I'm willing. I want my memory back."

Koenig caught Carter's eye and the pilot suddenly knew what was on his Commander's mind, "There are too many unknowns involved with this." John turned his back on Duaor and the rest, "I'm sorry. But I must say no."

"NO?" The alien's tone rose above a light din of general objection. "Commander, you insult us."

Koenig turned to face him once again, "You can give me no assurance that Dr. Russell will walk off your ship, mind and body intact. I won't take that risk."

Helena exclaimed, "John, I want to!" She stepped forward, attempting to touch his shoulder again. She was suddenly hurt when he avoided her, rounding his sofa in the opposite direction. "I would think this my decision ..." she trailed off.

"You have my answer, Duaor." Koenig cut her off, never looking in Helena's direction.

"How dare you?" The Councilor blasted, "Will you make us use force, Commander? We must have Duc's Zelim and if you do not coöperate with me, my people and all of Taldrof will converge on this base."

"So, you're not really giving us a choice." Carter countered, in heavy contempt.

Duaor took a deep breath, his anger abated a bit. "I am sorry ..." he managed to squeak out, "Of course, we will not attack you. I was just upset by your Commander's stubbornness. We are a peaceful people and would never harm anyone ..." His expression was imploring, "But please reconsider, Commander. You have no idea how important this is to ..."

"You've already had my answer." Koenig did not budge.

"Then this is goodbye." Duaor stiffened, "Have your people bring Duc's remains to my craft and we will leave you."

Koenig nodded, studying Duaor. "I am sorry ..."

"I understand." Although it was clear Duaor did not. "My men and I will be awaiting further news from you on my craft." He turned about and walked from the Commander's quarters.

When the doors sliced shut, Helena exclaimed: "Why did you do that? I told you I was ..."

"You are not the Commander of this base. I am."

Stunned, Helena was still and silent for a count of ten seconds, looking at John Koenig as if seeing him for the first time. She glanced over at Maya who also appeared shocked and puzzled by her Commander's odd attitude. "But, it's my memory ... It's my life!"

He said nothing. Just stared, unrelenting.

Unable to stop herself, Helena whispered - "I don't want to be around you anymore." Then, she turned from him, pain and confusion marring her brow, and walked from the room.

Koenig gulped as he watched her but managed to keep his expression passive.

"I'll go talk with her." Carter said and exited.

Once they were alone, Maya pleaded: "Be reasonable, Commander!"

Koenig's hands turned into fists as he paced back and forth before her, "Am I an enigma, Maya? You're asking me to see it from Helena's point of view. I have tried, from the moment she became an amnesiac. I know she is afraid and angry. I understand she wants to know more and, because we can't tell her all she needs to know, Helena feels patronized. I know all of this ... But try to see it from my point of view." He stopped pacing and looked directly at his science advisor, "Despite the alien's words, we are still faced with Alpha's possible destruction and the one person they say can make a difference is threatened! And she's inviting it! What do I do? Give Helena up to possible death without really knowing if what I'm doing is for the best or ..."

"You love her," Maya stated flatly, "and are afraid for her and the rest of Alpha. That's not mysterious, John." For a moment, Maya dropped the formality which often made her feel so much more comfortable in Koenig's presence. Now decorum seemed out of place. "I love Tony the same way and if I were in your position I might act in the very same fashion ..." She looked off, thinking: "I'm not sure. But I _do_ know you have to give Helena the benefit of a doubt. Tell her you would rather have her on this base alive, with her memory loss, than away from you - perhaps forever - with it intact. Don't cut her off because of her infliction. Include her. Tell her what you've told me."

Koenig sighed, knowing what she was telling him was spot-on. "I will, Maya." Yet, how _not_ to feel that over protective tenderness? It was something he'd have to work on. "But first - we have a base to protect and a diplomat to appease."

Maya smiled and took Koenig's arm as they walked from his quarters, "It will work out, Commander. I am certain of it."

Koenig wished he was as certain as the Psychon.

()

_To be continued ..._

_And don't forget to leave a review or comment. I don't know if the fiction is liked unless I hear from you. It's the only encouragement and payment a fan author receives! And thanks to those of you who have already posted. It means a lot. :)_


	4. Chapter 4

(4)

**THE CONCLUSION:**

In the furthest depths of Moonbase Alpha, Carter found Helena near the sauna. She sat in a chair which over-looked the Olympic sized swimming pool, dabbing gently at her eyes with a powder-blue colored handkerchief. It was quiet now, every Alphan at their station because of the alert. "Helena."

She jumped, startled by the voice which bounced off the walls around them. "I'm all right." Helena cleared her throat, anticipating his question.

"Try to understand that the Commander isn't doing this to hurt you. He has an intuitive sense about Duaor. There is something more to these aliens than what meets the eye. He's sure of it ... and if you knew him; everything we've faced while out in deep space, you'd understand too."

She looked down at the handkerchief as she pulled at it with her slender fingers, "But I do know him. I just can't remember what we've meant to each other." There was an almost sardonic humor in Helena's tone, "Alan, I'm just so mixed up. I've never run out of a room angry or so emotional before. If this is what my life has become or what love does to you, I'm not certain I want any part of it.'

He nearly made mention that if she remembered never having such an emotional outburst before than maybe her memory was already improving. For now, he chose to ignore it. "So," Alan spoke lightly, "you're in love with the Commander?"

She glanced down at her fingers, reticent. "Yes, I suppose I am and I have you to thank for it." Helena gulped with gentle irritation.

"Me?" Now, Carter was puzzled.

"You lent me that basketball video and I finally took a good look at an interesting frame. It was nothing really, by itself, but it spoke volumes to someone like me, who never knew the truth until ..."

"What was it?" Alan pressed, interested.

"I paused and blew-up a frame on the video with John and myself. There we were, watching the game on a bench from the sidelines. We weren't even paying any attention to each other - really. But his hand was on my knee and my hand was on top of his. It was so silly and so natural. We were enjoying ourselves, touching one other in an intimate manner, but not even aware of it." Helena looked Carter in the eyes, "That's when I knew I was in love with him. Isn't it ridiculous? That one small little thing but it made such an impression."

Carter recalled his conversation with Tony in the gym, regarding Helena and their kiss, and considered what she said. Until she kissed him, he hadn't a clue either. However, right here and now, he felt compassion and friendship for her but nothing more. He cared about Helena as he might care about his sister. There was nothing amorous at all involved and Alan felt relieved satisfaction. "We better get back to Command Center, if you're ready."

Helena smiled, "I am. I need to apologize to John." She stood and looked at Carter for a few seconds. Then she hugged him. "Thank you, Alan."

Carter hugged her in return, feeling exonerated.

()

It was a long, sleek weapon. Many years and lives were sacrificed in the development of its design. And now, it was pointed at Sandra Benes' temple. Sahn stood silent, glancing side-ways at her captors, as one of the alien guards gripped her arms - forcing her hands behind her. Then she looked forward again, towards her Commander as he attempted to negotiate her release.

"Duaor, what are you doing?" Koenig demanded, stepping from behind his desk. When he was called to Command Center, a few minutes after his conversation with Maya, John was curious but never anticipated what he was witnessing now.

Instead of returning to their ship, the Councilor and his men jumped the Alphan security guards who were escorting them and returned to Command Center. Once in Alpha's control center, they took possession, holding Sahn as hostage.

"I am desperate, Commander, and will not hesitate to kill this young woman if you fail to do as I demand." Duaor's tone was forceful yet oddly retained a thread of diplomacy. "Give me Duc, his craft, his Katla and - most importantly - Doctor Russell."

Verdeschi looked from the alien to Koenig, questioning. He had not been in John's quarters to hear what transpired. He only knew Duaor and his people were to leave but didn't.

Maya, who had come into the center with Koenig and now stood by his side said: "This is more than a religious rite ... What is it you _really_ want?"

Suddenly, a high piercing siren was heard all throughout Moonbase Alpha. To the Earth people the noise was disturbing and painful but the Taldrofian's were in utter agony. They fell to the floor, on their knees, and the guard who was holding the weapon on Sandra dropped it to place shaking hands over his ears.

Sandra skipped out of the way and Verdeschi seized the weapon.

Then, Koenig looked up at the Big Screen and saw another craft. It was huge and awe inspiring, what he originally thought was the second meteor. When a deep voice called over Sandra's communications console no one was overly surprised.

"Alpha, I am Rafta, leader of the Tadrofian people, I ask permission to enter your base."

"Reason?" Koenig asked, allowing his tone to soften now that the siren had stopped wailing. He watched as Tony and two other Alphans pulled Duaor and his men to their feet, holding stun guns on them.

"Criminals are on your moonbase ... and I wish to see my son, Duc."

Koenig sighed, "We have your criminals in custody and Duc ... I am afraid your son crash-landed on our moon and has died."

Helena and Alan entered Command Center, acknowledging Duaor's capture, both looking up at the screen and at the new spaceship.

Glancing at her, wanting to reassure Helena but knowing this wasn't the right time, John continued - "Councilor Duaor wished to abduct one of my people, as well as the body of your son and his Katla."

There was a hesitation, as if the alien was considering what he was just told. "If you will allow me access to your moonbase, I believe I can answers many questions you may have, Commander." Then, before Koenig could inquire as to his motives Rafta bargained: "You may hold weapons on me if it will make you feel more comfortable. I realize you have little reason to trust my people right now."

Koenig looked over at Verdeschi who didn't appear to like the idea. However, unlike Duaor, John felt he could trust Rafta. His instincts had worked well for them in the past. "Rafta, you have permission."

()

As Duaor had, not hours before, Rafta stood before the Alphans in Command Center. He wore the familiar robes of his people, his perhaps a bit more elegant, but the face - old and lined with wisdom - seemed tired. His bald head, however, gleamed as it might if he were as young as his son had been.

Duaor and his men were standing off to the side, the Alphan stun guns still trained on them.

"I am sorry to say Duaor is what you would call my brother in law, my late wife's brother. He was also a trusted Councilor of Taldrof. Yet, it was suspected he turned traitor during the most important of our many civil wars. I did not want to believe it but could not ignore what my advisors were telling me." He paused to take a breath and gather his thoughts. What he said next was obviously painful - "Duc ... my brave young son ... told me he would retrieve evidence to prove, either way, if his uncle had succumbed to temptation. I told him not to. We have men - soldiers - who would recover this information. But my child was stubborn ... and very patriotic. He was caught, obviously, and crashed on your moon while attempting to escape his captors."

"But what does that have to do with me?' Helena asked, sympathetic yet curious.

"Doctor Russell, you have been honored." A mild smile eased onto Rafta's lips, "It was a move of desperation on Duc's part - perhaps because he knew he was dying - but he used you as his conduit. Whatever it is he learned during the mission is in you ... and that is why Duaor was so desperate to take you upon his craft."

_To kill me_, she thought and again felt guilt over what she had said to John Koenig.

"What does 'Matita. Mitita ka. Mititca koo.' mean?" Maya asked, stepping forward. An alien herself, she felt an odd sort of bond with this poor distraught father and leader. "They were Duc's last words to Dr. Russell."

Gathering himself, Rafta spoke quietly: "To quote in your language exactly: 'Treachery. My Uncle. Treachery in the family.' In his own way, he was telling you to beware of his Uncle, the murderous Duaor." He looked over at his brother in law, daring him to speak.

After a thoughtful moment, Carter said - "Once Duaor had Helena on his craft he would have used the Katla on her, to find out what she knows ...then what?"

"He would have murdered her." Rafta was blunt.

Helena shivered, her assumption proving true.

"That is untrue!" Duaor called from across the room, angry at the suggestion.

"You lie again." Rafta's steady tone did not change. "You could not afford to keep her alive once she knew your secret. You would have killed this woman, telling her people Katla unexpectedly failed. Thus, leaving them to believe she died in error."

"In murdering Helena he destroys the evidence against him." Maya concluded, "Not even you, Rafta, could accuse him of treachery without evidence."

A little frightened by the whole discussion, Helena stepped closer to John and allowed him to put an arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him and met his eyes. 'I'm sorry.' She silently said and he seemed to understand, a small smile on his lips.

Koenig was struck by another possibility as he gazed at her. There was still a chance Helena could regain her memory - "Duaor said there was surgery involved with Katla. Dr. Russell's recall would return." The Commander coaxed. "_Is_ there a danger?"

"Done properly, no. There is none. There is no_ physical_ surgery involved. Dr. Russell merely need stand in front of the Katla as its rays penetrate the information deep in her brain. If there is any sign of physical suffering she would be immediately taken off. Then, once the code Duc used is deciphered and all is revealed there will be complete memory return." Rafta moved to stand in front of Helena, his expression imploring. "Will you do this for us? Will you allow us to use Katla on you, thus convicting a criminal, serving justice ... and allowing me to hear the voice of my child one last time?"

Helena looked up at John, unsure.

"It's your decision." He smiled and gently squeezed her shoulder.

()

Twelve hours passed.

After retrieving the incriminating information Helena's brain housed, Rafta returned to his spacecraft, Duaor and treacherous guards in tow. The other ship, which belonged to Duaor, was seized as it hovered in space and all aboard, the Alphans were told, was to be interrogated.

Duc's smaller spaceship, along with enough data to fascinate even the most jaded of scientists, was given to Moonbase Alpha - as a gift from the grateful Rafta. Alan Carter was particularly excited with his new toy.

Rafta and Koenig left one another on pleasant, if somewhat sad terms. Before he departed Alpha, in a spindle of fluted light, the Taldrofian leader took Koenig aside and said something which baffled John: "Commander, you will never know what it is to lose something as precious as a child until you have one of your own." Then, "Let us hope your children will live full, healthy lives."

At first John thought he was speaking of Moonbase Alpha as a whole but when the alien bowed his head and allowed a small smile of confidentiality - almost as if he was teasing him - the Commander was shaken. Had he read Helena's mind during the extraction process? Whatever the case, John thought it a good idea to carefully think over his views of children on the moonbase and ask Helena if she might be hiding something from him.

As it turned out she was not. After a few hours bed rest, the doctor was as good as new and sitting on the sofa in his quarters. When John brought her a glass of wine and asked Helena what she thought Rafta meant by the comment - the woman could only laugh. "If you are asking me if I'm pregnant, John, the answer is _no_." She paused (noting his relief), sipping her drink, behaving as if it really did not seem like such a bad idea to her. Then, as an after-thought: "However, I spoke with Alibe Gundersen while I was resting in Medical Center ... and she_ is_."

Koenig looked off, a little disturbed by this development. Alibe had come to him not long ago, announcing she was taking over the 'baby project' while Helena recovered. He didn't suspect at the time she might have a good reason or a personal agenda.

"John," Helena sighed, placing her drink on his coffee table. She put her arms around him, "I know how you feel about this. You have worries about over population and too little food for too many babies. It's a reasonable worry but there isn't anything to fear. Alibe put together the new proposal that will be sitting on your desk when you get back to Command Center and it is practically fault free."

"Practically?"

"On Moonbase Alpha there is no such thing as absolutes."

"You're willing to admit that?"

"Yes, and I'm willing to live with the consequences - as are many." She ran a finger gently over his left sideburn.

"Then, I guess that's that. Alpha is going to have children."

Happy, Helena leaned forward to kiss his cheek. John nearly responded when his double doors parted and Tony and Maya entered - without knocking.

Both looked a little too wobbly and blithe to be sober.

"We wanted you two to be the first to know." Verdeschi took Maya's hand in his and lifted it for the command couple to see the engagement ring.

"Maya!" Helena stood quickly and crossed to her friend. She embraced her as Koenig shook Tony's hand.

"When?" John asked, wondering if Verdeschi would remember this in the morning.

"In two weeks." Maya responded with a giddy, unfocused giggle, allowing Verdeschi to come up beside her and nuzzle an ear, "He asked me only an hour ago. We have so much planning to do ... My camera! I'm going to have to take lots of pictures!"

"But not tonight!" Verdeschi took his lady by the shoulders and slowly eased her out of the room, "Tonight we celebrate!"

And they were out of the room, almost as quickly as they entered.

Koenig and Helena laughed together, "What do you think about that?" he asked her.

"It's wonderful. I think they will be very happy together."

"That's not really what I meant."

Helena lifted a couple fingers and placed them on his lips, "I know what you meant. Someday, John. But not yet."

"I do love you, Helena."

"I know. And I love you too."

His arms came around her and he hugged Helena Russell with gentle enthusiasm. He almost lost her, in more ways than one. If he had anything to say about it she would never leave him or Moonbase Alpha again ...

()

**_THE END_**

()

(TO BE CONTINUED ... In ALPHAN QUEST # 3: "The Discontented" - already on this fan fiction site. Once again thank you for any and all comments!)


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